Heel construction for cushion shoes



June 30, 1936. J. H. EvERsToN 2,045,844

HEEL CONSTRUCTION FOR CUSHION SHOES Filed Jan.' 2e, 1935 gill/111mm INVENTOR w. M

1n@ www ATTORNEYS Patented June 3o, 1.936

PATENT OFFICE,

. 2,045,844 y HEEL CONSTRUCTION Fon CUSHION f snoEs Josph H. Everston, Milwaukee, Wis. Application January 26, 1935, Serial No. 3,561

16 Claims.

plication is a continuation in part of my application No. 699,319 filed November 23, 1933, entitled 5 Shoes. y

It is the primary object of the present inven- ;ion to provide a cushion shoe in which a specially deep cushionl is incorporated beneath the wearers heelbone in such a manner as to absorb shock and resist any tendency of the foot to slide forwardly in the -shoe while at the same time the margins of the relatively nonyielding sole portions around such deep cushion are so protected and cushioned as to prevent any abrasion of the wearers foot.

I am aware that attempts have vbeen made to provide an unusually deep cushion beneath the heelbone. It is one of the objects of the present invention to improve upon the'prior art efforts in this regard as to simplicity, ease of manufacture, economy, and actual achievement of the objects above specified. If the cushion material is simply enlarged in a concave depression it'is necessary to mold the cushion to t the depression, and this is extremely expensive. In addition, the gradual concavity of the depression does not offer any particular resistance to any tendency of the wearers foot to slide forward in the shoe. If, on the other hand, the margin of the deep 'portion of the cushion is sharply defined, the shoe will be uncomfortable to the wearer.

Inv the present invention the margins of the opening into which a supplemental cushion is received, are sharp, and the foot is thereby prevented from sliding forwardly in the shoe, but the sharpness of the margins is not sharply perceptibleto the wearer because the cushion ply which extends throughout the space between the outsole and the insole is also extended across these 40 margins to soften their outlines.

Y It is a further object of the invention not only to resist any tendency of the foot to slide forwardly in the shoe, but also, by a modified construction, to provide support for the scaphoid bone by any one of several expedients which can readily and economically be incorporated into a shoe embodying this invention.

It is another object of the invention to provide simple and inexpensive means for retaining a cushion plug in an aperture of the outsole to facilitate the original lasting of the shoe, and the repairof the shoe, and also to prevent water from entering the heel of the shoe through the crevices about such a plug.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through .the lower portion of a shoe containing one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in similar sec- 5 tion through the heel portion of the shoe showing a modied embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the upper surface of the outer sole of the shoe shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a. detail of a further modified embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail in perspective showing the sole vconstruction illustrated in Figure 4. 15

Figures '6 and 7 are fragmentary details in longitudinal section through the heel portions oi cushion shoes incorporating further modified embodiments of the invention.

Figure 8 is a view through the heel portion of a cushion Ashoe in transverse section showing a still further modification.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views. I

The construction shown in Fig. 1 is similar to that illustrated inthe above entitled application No. 699,319, ,there being an outsonle 9, an insole I0, an inseam at II between the upper I2 and the welt I3, a relatively inelastic ller at Il between those portions of the insole and the outsole which are beyond the area normally occupied by the wearers foot, and an elastic ply at I5 which preferably corresponds in area to the print of the normal healthy foot as explained in the aforesaid 3 application. 5

In' the aforesaid companion application the outsole was skived below the heel to provide' a recess having margins sufficiently sharp to coustitute a well dened pocket for preventing the Wearers foot from sliding forwardly in 4the shoe. For reasons of economy of manufacture the present construction substitutes for this Skived recess a hole at I6 which is cut or punched completely through the outsole tov provide a sharply margined opening in which the cushion plug I8 is 45 received. 'Ihe plug I8 rests directly upon the top lift or heel base I9 of heel 20 and is completely covered by the cushion ply I5 which also covers those portions of the outsole about the margins of the opening I6 therein. Heel `2l) may contain a wooden nail-retaining insert of conventional forni as shown in Fig. 1.

'Ihe wearer of such a shoe has the benefit oi.' the reduction of shock which is afforded by the cumulative effect of the cushion ply I5 and the 55 collapse to some "ferent location of the wedge.

cushion plug I8, and in addition the softness of the plug allows his heelbone to sink suiciently deeply into the pocket afforded by opening I0 so as to resist any tendency for his foot to slide forwardly in the shoe. Notwithstanding the pocketing effect of this arrangement, the wearers heel is protected from the otherwise sharp margins of opening I8 by the general cushion ply I5 which extends across such margins.

All the cushions and cushion plies herein referred to may conveniently be made of sponge rubber or the like, but other forms of porous rubber or soft yieldable cushioning. material may be substituted. Ordinary cork composition used as lling is not sufficiently yieldable for the purposes of this invention.

In the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the resistance to forward sliding movement of the foot is increased while at the same time theshoe is provided with an orthopedic feature through the incorporation therein ofa wedge 22 which may conveniently be made of leather or vfiber or the like, and which includes a base portion 23 extending vertically through the forward side of opening I6 in the outsole, the Wedge being then fort to the wearer of the shoe.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 somewhat similar results are achieved by a dif- In this embodiment of the invention two cuts at 25 andA 26 are made in the outsole 9 at the time the opening I6 is cut therein. These cuts 25 and 20 extend in a general forward direction from the opening I8 (with some inclination toward the inside of the shoe) and serve partially to sever from the outsole atongue 21. Beneath this tongue to provide partial support therefor, is placed a special lift 30 of wedge-shaped form which may be made of rubber or the like, and which preferably terminates short of the rearward end of tongue 21 so that therear end of such tongue is allowed to degree into the space behind the Wedge.

As in the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3,

the result of this arrangement is to increase the level of the forwardportion of the heel seat beneath the scaphoid bone, and at the same time to increase the resistance to any tendency of the wearers foot to slide forwardly in the shoe. The otherwise sharp margins of the tongue 21 are y softened to the perception of the wearers foot by the-fact that they are covered by the continuous cushion ply I5.

The construction shown in Figs. ,1, 6, 7, and 8 may be used separately or incorporated in Vany of the embodiments lof the invention previously described. In each of these constructions there is means positioningthe plug in the opening of the outsole, and in each instance such means may be waterproofed to resist any tendency of water to be drawn by capillary attraction into the opening I6 and pumped therefrom by the porous sponge I rubber cushion up into the interior of the shoe.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6 the plug I0 is held in the opening I8 of the outsole by means.

of a ply of waterproofed canvas or the like which,

as shown at 32,` extends completely across the,

opening I8 beneath the plug and. is marginally cemented to the under surface of the outsole to provide a complete sole. The heel base I9 is conventionally made concave and is made to accommodate such a. ply.

In the construction shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. '1 a similar ply of close-grained leather or waterproofed canvasv or impervious rubber or other lsuitable material is pressed through the opening the top lift I9 and the outsole 9 to be engaged'.

by the nails which hold the heel 20 in place. When these nails are driven .home the iiange I8I of plug |80 is subjected to substantial compression whereby it is seated tightly against the outsole to exclude moisture. At the same time its engagement by the nails prevents the plug from moving about in the opening I6 even though such opening may be larger than the actual cross section of the plug.

In all of these constructions the cushion plug at I8 or |80 is sufficiently yieldable to allow the wearers heel to socket itself deeply in the opening I6 .of the outsole, and in all of these constructions the margins of such opening I6 are completely shielded by the general cushion ply I5 which prevents them from being too sharply perceptible to the wearers foot.

I claim:

1. In a shoe, the combination with a heel havinga continuous unapertured heel base, of an outsole resting on said heel and cut away above an intermediate area of the top of said heel to provide an vopening with margins suiliciently sharply dened so that the heel-bone of a wearerreceived therein will be restrained against any tendency to slide forwardly in the shoe, an elastic cushion resting upon the heel and disposed within the cut-away portion of the outsole to provide cushion support for the wearers heelbone, an insole spaced from said outsole above said heel and also forwardly thereof, a counter provided at its bottom with an inturnedflange disposed ilatbetween the insole and the outsole about the heel portions thereof and a separate elastic cushioning means interposed in the space between the insole and outsole in substantially .the plane of and within the flange of said counter and extending across said elastic cushion and the margins of said opening forwardly thereof, whereby to cushion elastically the margins of the cutaway portion of the outsole above said first mentioned cushion, said elastic cushion and cushioning means constituting separatelayers of material one of which is positioned within the pocket Aof the outsole and the other of which extends together accumulating their Y aprecia combined effect beneath the wearers heelbone to define a deformable area of increased elastic yielding qualities as compared with the remaining area of said cushioning means, whereby elas- .yieldable cushion socketed in the aperture, a heel base secured to said sole and extending across said aperture, and means having a portion interposed between said heel base and cushion for retaining said cushion in said aperture.

3. In a cushion heel, the combination with an outer sole having an opening at the heel, of a resilient yieldable cushion plug socketed in said opening, a heel base applied to said soie below said opening, and a relatively impervious web interposed between said heel base and said plug and having a nat portion in face engagement with said sole.

d. In a cushion heel construction, the combination. with a shoe sole having an opening, of

a cushion plug inserted in said opening, and a retaining web socketed to iit within said opening outside of said plug and flanged at its upper margin over the face of said sole.

5. The combination with an apertured sole and a heel applied thereto below the aperture, oi a cushioned plug in said aperture provided with a radial ange interposed between said heel and sole. p

6. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outsole, an insole and a cushion ply therebetween, of means providing supplemental support for said ply solely at the forward portion of the heel whereby the heelportion of the inner sole is higher at its forward part than at its shank portion or its rearward part, said cushion ply serving to cushion'the outlines of such means.

7. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outer sole apertured at the heel, and an inner sole, of a cushion ply between said soles covering said aperture, a cushion plug in said aperture, and means applied beneath said cushion ply adjacent the forward margin of said aperture to raise the level of the heel portion of the inner sole at its forward side as compared with the level of its rearward side.

8. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outer sole, a. heel applied thereto, a cushion ply upon said outer sole, and an inlier sole upon said cushion ply, of means between said heel and cushion ply for elevating the forward heel seat portion of the .insole and cushion ply as compared with the rearward heel seat portions thereof.

9. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outer sole, a heel applied thereto, a cushion ply upon said outer sole, and an inner sole upon said cushion ply, of means between said heel and cushion ply for elevating the forward heel seat portion of the insole and cushion ply as compared with the rearward heel seat portions thereof, said means comprising a wedge incorporated between said outsole and cushion ply.A

10. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outer sole, a heel applied thereto, a cushion ply upon said outer sole, and an inner sole upon said cushion ply, of means between said heel and cushion ply for elevating the forward heel seat portion of the insole and cushion ply as compared with the rearward heel seat portions thereof, said means comprising a wedge incorporated between said heel and outsole. 4

1l. In a cushion shoe, the combination with an outer sole, a heel applied thereto, a cushion ply upon said outer sole, and an inner sole upon said cushion ply, of means between said heel and cushion ply for elevating the forward heel seat portion of the insole and cushion ply as coinpared with the rearward heel seat portions thereof, said means comprising a wedge incorporated ybetween said heel and outsole, said outsole being formed upwardly above said wedge.

12. A cushion shoe construction comprising the combination with a shoe sole apertured in its heel portion and providedl with a tongue iixed to said sole forwardly of said aperture and substantially free of said soie for vertical movement adjacent said aperture, a cushion plug in said ap-u erture, a heel beneath said plug, a lift interposed between said heel and tongue whereby said tongue is raised above the level oi adjacent outsole portions, a cushion ply covering said plug, said tongue, and adjacent portions of said outsole, and an insole on said cushion ply.

i3. A shoe heel construction comprising an outsole provided with a. rearwardly directed tongue portion in the heel area, a heel below said Y of the outsole and elevated by said tongue and the 4 lift4 therebeneath, saidy lift being disposed substantially wholly forwardly of the rear free end of said tongue, whereby said tongue end yields behind said lift to render the eect thereof less abruptly perceptible.

15. In a shoe construction, the combination with an outsole having a heel portion, of a special lift of limited area applied at the forward side of said heel portion, a cushion ply covering said special lift and adjacent portions of said outsole, and an insole upon said cushion ply' subject to elevation at the points affected by said special lift.

16. In a shoe construction, the combination with an outsole having a heel portion, of a special lift of limited area applied at the forward side of said heel portion, a cushion ply covering said special lift and adjacent portions of said outsole, and an insole upon said cushion ply subject to elevation at the points aiected by said special lift, said special lift being directed toward the inward side of said outsole.

JOSEPH H. TON. 

